Euro Trippin'
by jadedromantic13
Summary: AU. Callie and Arizona meet whilst backpacking through Europe with their friends on their breaks before college. Definitely C/A, and other characters will show up along the way. Rated T for now.
1. It's gonna be a long ride

**Okay, so, I've never written a multi-chapter fic before, and I'm a bit nervous. I've also never posted to this site before. But I've had this idea rolling around in my head for months now, and since I'm limiting the number of nights I go out, I figured now was probably the best time to give it a go. While I don't live there, I have been through the UK & Europe recently, so I'll try and be as accurate as possible.**

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honor belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done.**

"Mami, stop worrying. I'm going to be fine! It's only for a few months, and I've got Mark with me. We're gonna be smart and sensible, and I'll try and call once a week if I can." I had made about 16 different versions of this little speech over the past week, so by now I knew exactly what my Mom needed to hear in order to calm down. "We'll be _fine_!" I reiterated, just to emphasize my point, but I could still see the doubt and maternal fear all over her face.

"Mama Torres, you don't have to worry about Callie. I'll make sure she's OK, and that she's not getting up to anything crazy or stupid." My best friend, and companion for our big European adventure, interjected confidently. I saw some of the tension drain from my Mom's face as Mark spoke.

See, I don't know why she doesn't believe me when I say that, but then, my Mom's always had a soft spot for Mark, largely owing to the fact that he's bailed me out of a few potentially questionable situations. OK, scratch that, he's actually rescued me from more than a few really bad situations. I think she kind of views him as the older brother I never had, or maybe like the hugely overgrown, fiercely protective puppy that I sometimes viewed him as.

"OK, Mark. I'm trusting you with my niña," she ignored my protest of indignation at being called her 'baby girl', "Just—keep her safe, alright?" I saw a few tears escape, and roll down her cheeks. "Make sure you both come back to us exactly as you are now, just with more stamps in your passports." Her weak attempt at humor was not lost on anyone as her coping mechanism. I smiled brightly at my Mom and stepped up to her, placing my hand on her cheek and wiping her tears with my thumb.

"Mami, I'm going to be fine. Mark's going to be fine. We'll come back in one piece, and we'll meet you here in 3 months, and nothing will have changed, you'll see." I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring way, before drawing her in for a hug.

"I love you, Mami. I'll call you as soon as I can." I spoke softly into her ear.

"Te quiero con todo mi corazón, mija." She whispered in response, and hugged me tighter for a brief moment before letting go.

"Mark, a word, if I may?"

Until now, my Dad had been standing quietly, stoically. My Dad has never been a man of many public emotions, and he wasn't going to start showing what he thought to be a weakness now.

"Daddy, come on. Please don't threaten Mark again…" This wouldn't be the first time my Dad had taken Mark aside to have a "chat" that would have Mark afraid to meet his eyes for a month.

"No, Callie. It's cool. Of course, Mr. Torres." Mark cut me off as he walked with my Dad a few paces away from us. I watched with just a little apprehension, knowing exactly how frightening my Dad could be.

Watching them nervously, I couldn't help but think about how good-looking Mark was getting. Or, had gotten. I remember not too long ago, he had just had a growth spurt, and had been a lanky and somewhat awkward looking guy. Now, though, he really had filled out and was starting look like a man. A very handsome man. Not really my type, but I can still appreciate a fine male specimen when I see one.

It all seemed to be going OK; Mark was nodding along at whatever my Dad was saying with a smile on his face. I turned to Mama, "Wow… I wasn't expecting Daddy to be so nice about Mark taking me to Europe."

Five seconds. I swear that's how long I turned my head away for, and yet when I looked back Mark almost looked like someone had kicked him right where it hurts. The color had drained from his face, and he was nervously stroking the barely-there stubble of a new beard. He was also nodding vigorously at my Dad's words.

"Relax mija. Mark can handle your father." I hadn't realized I had taken an unconscious step forward until Mama lightly tugged on my arm. My step forward turned out to be unnecessary as the two most important men in my life made their way back towards us, one looking decidedly happier than the other.

"You OK, Mark?" I faced him as my Dad turned to Mama and gave her a long hug.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine. Great, in fact." He cleared his throat, probably to try and get his voice back to his normal octave, "Your Dad is just-" He seemed to be searching for the words he could say with said parent standing not 2 feet away.

I had to smile; he really was adorable when it came to my Dad. "It's alright, Mark. Don't worry, I get it." A look of relief crossed his face; he knew that I knew exactly what my father was like.

"_Would all passengers for Virgin Flight VS006 to London Heathrow please make their way through to gate 36."_

"Ok, well… That's us…" Turning back to my parents one last time, I open my arms to incorporate them both into a hug, and am basically bear tackled by my Mom, and we are both much more reservedly embraced by my Dad.

"I'm gonna miss you both. So much. Te quiero."

I pulled them both in tighter for a second before letting go. If we kept this up, Mama was going to start crying, so I was gonna start crying and then well, it just becomes a mess.

"Bye Mama Torres," Mark pulled her in for a brief hug before turning to my Dad with a short nod, "Mr. Torres. I won't forget what you said. You can trust me."

I couldn't resist pulling my Mom in for one last embrace, "Te quiero, Mami."

And with that, we grabbed our bags, gripping them tightly and walked through the international security checkpoint and joined the line for U.S. Customs. Just as I could feel the familiar pricks of tears behind my eyes, Mark put his free arm over my shoulders and said, "C'mon Cal, don't cry. We're going to London baby!" I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the ridiculous fake British accent he adopted.

There are thousands of reasons why Mark and I are best friends, and his ability to recognize when I'm sad and cheer me up was just one of them. I took a deep breath, calming the fluttering butterflies in my stomach. I could do this. I could feel it. This trip, it was going to change our lives.

"So, you've got your passport?"

"Yep."

"Boarding ticket?"

"Yep."

"Cash?"

"Yep."

"Credit card?"

"Yep."

"Travel wall—"

I had to interrupt before my mother could run through everything contained in my carry-on for the fourth time.

"Mom! I've got everything. If I keep taking it out to check like you keep making me, _that's _when I'm gonna start losing stuff." I shoved everything back into my oversized handbag. "I have the important things. It's not like I'm going to Africa or something, Mom. I'm sure if I've forgotten anything, there's a good chance they have it in the UK." I smiled not-at-all condescendingly at my Mom, when my Dad chimed in.

"Honey, she's got everything. You watched her pack it back at the house, remember?"

My father, Colonel Daniel Robbins of the US Marine Corps. Ever the practical man. God bless him, always manages to get Mom to calm down. I mean, I understand why she's worrying; this is the first time I'll have ever been away from my family for such a long time. Even if I am going with my best friend Teddy, who's spent so much time at our house over the past 11 years that she's practically family.

I love my Mom, both of my parents actually, more than anything else in the world. They've both supported me, and loved me and cared for me through everything, especially the past few years.

I know that her making sure (for the thousandth time) that I've got everything was just her way of freaking out because I'm leaving. Some mothers get clingy, some cry, mine fusses. But God, the way she was fussing was making it very hard to miss her.

"I'm good, Mom. _We're_ good. I've got everything." I repeated. "But we're gonna have to go in a sec—"

As if on cue, that disembodied yet pleasant voice came out over the loudspeaker, _"Would all passengers for Virgin Flight VS006 to London Heathrow please make their way through to gate 36."_

"Alrighty, that's us!" Despite everything, I was pretty bouncy with excitement. And that's saying something, considering that I'm generally a pretty perky person. Like, really perky. But (I hope) not in an annoying way. It's just the way I am, it's the way I've always been.

Teddy, who was used to my Mom and her unusual brand of freaking out and I'm sure had watched this whole exchange take place with amusement, wrapped her thin arms around my Mom, saying her own goodbyes.

I stepped forward to give my Dad a hug. "Look after Mom for me?" I said, pulling back slightly.

"Don't worry about your mother, darling. And, here," He slipped something into my hand, it was soft but pretty solid. "Don't look inside until you're on the plane, OK?"

Curiosity pricking up at what it could be, I slipped it into my pocket. "Roger that!" My dad and I had a running joke of using military phrases; it was also a mechanism I used when I was feeling overly emotional, like I was now, to stop from crying. He pulled me back in tightly, "I love you, Arizona. Stay safe, and call us when you can."

"I love you too, Dad."

As my dad released me, I felt a smaller pair of arms wrap around me as my Mom claimed me.

"I love you, baby. I'm going to miss you so much. Don't you go and do anything stupid, and make sure you two girls stay together."

"I love you too, Mom. Three months is gonna go by before you know it, and we'll be right back here."

Having said goodbye to my Dad, Teddy put her long arm over my shoulder. "Ready to go, babe?"

I nodded determinedly, "Yep. Let's do this. Let's kick Europe's butt!"

"We'll see you in when you get back, girls. Love you both." I could tell my Mom was trying her hardest to hold back tears, and for that I was grateful.

"Love you, too." Teddy and I chorused, and looked at each other laughing. My parents exchanged a look; they were used to Teddy and me seemingly sharing a brain and a mouth at times, so this was no surprise.

"Bye…" I waved over my shoulder as we walked through security, finally joining the winding cue for U.S. Customs.

"You gonna be alright, babe?" Teddy asked me as we snaked around the poles and ropes to reach the end of the line.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Actually, I'm awesome! We're going to Europe! It's gonna be amazing…" And I really believed what I was saying. This trip was going t- whoa... I completely lost my train of thought, lost it in the warm laughter coming from the gorgeous Latina. Lost it in the infectious smile, and expressive brown eyes that were looking up at—oh crap. Boyfriend. Should have guessed. Of course a girl as gorgeous as that would have a boyfriend. Probably heading off to a romantic retreat on some island somewhere. So unfair, the hot ones are always attached.

"Hello? Earth to Arizona?"

It was then that I realized that Teddy was trying to get my attention. Obviously had been for at least a little while. I smiled innocently, albeit a little absently, at my friend, "Sorry, babe. What were you saying? I must have zoned out."

She scoffed, "More like you had zoned _in_. On that hot chick with the really hot guy…." Now Teddy and I were both watching the hot couple. They definitely looked like a couple. And a really good-looking, really well dressed one at that. They were both clad in leather jackets that looked as though they had been put on this earth solely for them to wear. She was wearing flats and black skinny jeans, with a deep red top. Paired with the leather jacket, she looked both badass and beautiful. The guy? Well, if I was being honest, even I had to admit he was a hottie. Even if I'd rather see his girlfriend naked, I could still admit that. Tall, with broad shoulders, a strong jaw with just a hint of stubble with a great smile and kind eyes. Completely Teddy's kind. If he didn't have his arm slung over the shoulders of the girl who was the current object of my lust, that is.

"We have to stop staring, Arizona." Teddy advised, not once looking away.

"Yeah. Sure. I will when you do." Despite my words, I dragged my eyes away when I watched the brunette lean up to whisper something in the guy's ear, inciting a chuckle from him. Why, oh why must the pretty ones have boyfriends?

Glancing down at my watch, I realized we hadn't moved in several minutes. Looking back up towards Teddy, I noticed in my peripherals that the couple was now looking at us. Great, they probably noticed us staring at them before and are trying to decide if we're psychotic or just plain stalker-y.

The next group was called forward in the line, and everyone shuffled a few steps forward. Belatedly, I realized that this put me and Teddy almost directly next to the pair. Chancing a proper look up, I noticed a pair of brown eyes quickly avert themselves from us.

I turned back to Teddy, effectively blocking the couple from my view, "So babe… What do you think we should do once we land in Heathrow?"

She smiled, knowing that I was just distracting myself from the woman not two feet behind me and proceeded to discuss how we were getting to our hostel, something about the underground and something called a "Piccadilly line". I allowed myself to get lost in her voice, imagining how amazing this trip was going to be; positive that by the time we were halfway across the Pond we'd have forgotten all about the couple behind me.

This was possibly the longest line I would ever be in, ever.

"Okay, don't look over there… But are those two girls staring at us?" I asked Mark, leaning up to his ear so that said girls wouldn't be able to hear me.

Mark just chuckled, quietly replying, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure they are. The short blonde seems to be pretty taken with you, Cal." He snuck a quick glance to his left.

"Yeah, well, the other one seems to like the look of you. I mean, they're hot, so I'm not complaining, but it is just a teensy bit unsettling. Haven't they heard of _casually _perving on a person?" I looked towards the blonde who had been staring at me, and saw her studying her watch, her impatience evident.

She really was gorgeous. Light blonde hair, lightly curled, brushed just below her shoulders. Smooth, milky skin covered (unfortunately) by dark blue jeans, and a royal blue top, finished with a dark grey jacket and light gold ballet flats. She bit her bottom lip, and it was all I could concentrate on, a small smile playing around my own lips. Until Mark gently nudged me forward a few steps, bringing me to within a couple feet of the beautiful blonde, and she looked up at me.

I caught a flash of brilliant azure eyes, before quickly averting my eyes. Crap! Now she probably thought that I was stalking her. _Now who's the creepy unsettling one?_ I asked myself.

She turned around to face her friend, affording me the privilege of checking out her perfect ass, trailing down to her long, toned legs.

"So, Teddy…" I could hear the shorter one speaking to her friend, "What do you think we should do once we land in Heathrow?"

I quirked an eyebrow as I looked over to Mark with a smile, mouthing the word 'Heathrow?'. He shrugged back, equally as interested. At the very least I would get to eye-stalk this girl all the way to the plane. Casually eye-stalk, that is, of course.

Turning my gaze back towards the blondes, I realized the taller girl had caught me checking out her friend's body, and was now hiding back a small smile as she explained how they were getting to their hostel using the Underground.

I angled my face back towards Mark, fighting every instinct I had to continue checking out the girl right behind me. We all took a few steps further in the queue, and I realized that as we snaked around the next bend, I would have to endure being that close to the girl again.

Only three more bends in the line, and then I could escape. _Yeah, escaping the hot blonde is _exactly_ what you want, Callie_, I mentally scoffed at myself. Just another two hours until we board, and then I'll probably never see her again. Unless we're seated anywhere near each other on the plane. Or I see her in the terminal in London, or at baggage claim.

But then, _then_, we would go on with our badass European adventure and I would forget all about her.

Meanwhile, this was going to be a very long plane trip.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are like crack… Care to feed my habit? :)**


	2. Two rows back, across the aisle

**A/N: **First of all, can I just say a massively gigantic THANKYOU to each and every one of you who have commented, or put me on your alerts. 21 reviews were just so many more than I was expecting, and I just want to express my deepest gratitude to you all. I also want to apologize for the jump between POV's in the first chapter, a few people mentioned it got a little confusing. I did have asterisks to show a switch, but they didn't show up for some reason. Now I have the names of the person who's POV it is, so hopefully that'll help :)

One more thing: I am writing this as I go along, and I'm kind of letting it write itself. I have a few ideas for future chapters, but right now I'm just trying to get a feel for writing something that isn't a one-shot. I know most of what will be happening in the next few chapters, I'm just trying to get the pacing right, so please let me know what you think. There'll definitely be more action in the next few chapters, but I'm just setting up a few things at the moment.

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honor belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done**

**Arizona.**

The rest of our time in the airport had passed fairly uneventfully. Mostly, Teddy and I wandered around the international terminal, looking at shops. We figured since we'd be sitting for over eight hours soon, so we might as well stretch our legs while we could. Knowing that we'd be flying over night, I refrained from my instinct to get coffee while we were waiting, if I did I wouldn't be able to sleep on the plane at all.

Here was the best thing about Teddy. Or maybe not the _best_ thing, but you know what I mean. We didn't have to talk. I mean, we talked, definitely. Probably more than is healthy. But we were such good friends that we could quite happily wander around in each other's company without the need for talking.

While this was a fantastic thing in a travel companion and friend, that unfortunately left me with a lot of time to lose myself in my own thoughts. Thoughts which were currently swirling around the Latina we had been in line with. It was ridiculous! I had never fixated so heavily on a girl I'd never even spoken to, let alone met.

It was just… There was _something_ about the girl that made me _want_ to meet her. To speak to her. To kiss her—Hey, hold up, Arizona! I'm not sure where that thought came from. Well, actually, if I'm being honest, I do. It was a strange feeling; I've never had such a visceral reaction to anyone. I mean, I'll check out a beautiful girl as quickly as the next person, but usually that's all it is; a glance up and down, make a verdict and I move on with my life. But this girl… _Ugh! Snap out of it, Arizona!_ _This is nothing! You will never see that girl again, and this is just getting sad. _

In an attempt to distract myself, I turned to Teddy, who looked happy, and relaxed. Nice to see at least _one _of us is starting this holiday off right.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." I stated, for perhaps the tenth time today.

"Me either. Can you believe it was nearly two years ago that we said, 'Hey, we should go to Europe.'?"

"I can't believe it was that long ago… In some ways it feels like it was yesterday, but in others…" Teddy didn't need to finish her sentence. I knew exactly what she meant. In other ways it felt like so much more than two years had passed. So much had happened, good and bad. But this trip, it was gonna be a fresh start. We were out of high school now, and college doesn't start for four months, so we were just going to take this time to have fun, let loose, and not worry about _life_ and all those associated messes.

Both of us seemed to pull ourselves out of introspection simultaneously.

"Still, I—"

"_Would all passengers for flight VS006 please proceed to gate 36. You plane will begin boarding shortly."_

"That's us," Teddy remarked, somewhat redundantly.

"Yeah, we should head over there I guess…" I started to feel the nerves bubbling up in my stomach.

"You gonna be OK, babe? I've got your sleeping pills, anti-nausea pills and anti-anxiety medication all ready to go, remember?" She patted one of the zip-up compartments of her bag.

I love Teddy. I probably don't say it enough. But that girl should get an award for how well she looks after me. She knows I hate being coddled, and fussed over, so she looks after me in the most practical way. And right now, that was with medication.

"Why do I always forget that in order to go overseas I have to fly, and how do I always manage to forget that I hate flying until after we're almost on the plane?" I groaned in frustration, and rolled my neck to release some of the tension I could already feel building. I'm fine once we're in the air and I can forget that I'm hovering several thousand feet in the air in a metal tube, but until then… Ugh, I hate flying…

"I don't know how you do it, babe. Great skill and determination?" She proposed with a bright smile.

I chuckled despite myself; the girl really did know how to make me smile.

As we slowly started to make our way back to the gate, I took several deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. We were rounding the corner adjacent to our gate when I saw it, that flash of red and black. _No way_… I thought to myself. There she was. The girl I hadn't been able to stop thinking about for the last two hours. She was standing up and walking towards the gate. _My _gate. She was getting on our flight.

My staring was interrupted when I was bumped into from behind.

"Ow!" I turned to look at my assailant and realized it was Teddy.

"Hey, _you_ stop suddenly for no reason, and then have the audacity to complain when I don't stop? Why _did_ you stop anyway?" It was then that Teddy followed my line of vision to where the brunette was currently having her ticket scanned. There seemed to be a problem, and she was chatting to the flight attendant, who seemed flustered. I will forever be grateful to that woman for whatever she said as she was handing back the ticket, because it meant I got to watch a brilliant smile cross the Latina's face.

"Oh. I understand now. You were too busy stalking the hot chick to pay attention to the fact that me, you're best friend, was right behind you."

"Wh—What?" I made an attempt to protest Teddy's observation. "I was n-"

"Oh, whatever, Arizona. I know you." I stopped trying to pretend like I hadn't been doing exactly what she said I was. It was then that Teddy seemed to realize the thing that had stopped me in my tracks, and let out a quick laugh, "Oh, my god. She's getting on our plane! Oh, I'm gonna have so much fun with this one…"

"Shut up, Teddy." I hissed, elbowing her in the side, because in her laughter she hadn't noticed that the boyfriend had turned around to see what was holding up his girlfriend, and was now looking at us looking at her.

_Crap, now he thinks we are totally insane stalkers… Probably ask the air marshals to arrest us. Can the air marshal's arrest someone for eye-stalking someone? Even if I explain about how pretty she is? I mean, they'd understand once they saw her…_

"Ow! What was that f—Oh…" Realization of why I had not-so-gently nudged her dawned, and she quickly looked away. She did, however, continue to giggle silently, her shoulders shaking with the effort of containing her glee.

I slapped her on the arm, "Seriously? I don't even know why I put up with you… Thanks a lot, Teddy." I was joking of course; I loved the girl more than anyone else in the world. I started walking towards the now Latina-free ticket check-point, Teddy taking two long strides and catching up.

"You put up with me 'cause you looove meee!" She sing-songed happily. See? One mind, sometimes.

"Seriously, though?" I asked Teddy hypothetically, "What were the chances of them getting on the same flight as us?" I swung my bag to my front to open the zip and grab out my ticket.

"Well, there are what? Twenty international flights out of Miami in this hour? So, there was about a 5% chance of her being on the same plane… In theory of course…" She grinned, knowing that I wasn't actually looking for an answer, and was just doing it to screw with me.

I pointedly ignored her smart-ass comments, and stalked forward to the flight attendant, flashing her a bright smile and handing over my ticket.

As Teddy joined me in the corridor leading to the plane, she spoke again, "So… What would you like from Teddy's pharmacy? Pick your poison; it's all half-off!"

"No, I'm good." I replied, distracted. And it was true, I hadn't even thought about the normal pharmaceutical cocktail I normally consume prior to flying.

Teddy was so shocked at my response she almost stopped walking, resulting in her stumbling a few steps.

"Arizona Robbins? Declining medication before embarking on an eight hour flight?" Teddy asked incredulously.

"I'm not even thinking about the flying part of the next eight hours. I can't think about anything other than the fact that I'm gonna be trapped in a small area with that girl. I'm nervous, but not about being suspended over an ocean." I was telling the truth. I was more concerned about being in potentially really close proximity to that girl, and her boyfriend, for such a long time.

"Oh, you've got it so bad. Why do you always crush so hard on the unavailable ones?"

"I don't know, babe. If you figure it out, could you let me know? It would save me a lot of time, effort and heartbreak."

My best friend smiled sympathetically, knowing exactly what I was talking about. Making no move to placate me, she instead said, "So…. What should we do when we get in to London? I'm personally gonna be going on a regime of boy, bars and Broadway. For you we can substitute 'girls', but I like the alliteration of mine." I smiled, Teddy had such diverse tastes and hobbies, and I loved it. In one sentence she could take you through the finer points of the selection process for the army, and end up somehow referencing a musical, or some fine piece of high-brow literature.

"Uh, pretty sure "Broadway" is only New York, babe. It's called The West End across the pond."

"Whatever. I like the alliteration. Boy, bars, and Broadway. Perfect! Especially since once we're "across the pond" as you say, we can actually legally drink! Score one for being nineteen!"

The twenty-one thing had never really bothered us in the past, but there was something about being over the legal age which made it just that much cooler to hang out in bars and clubs.

Teddy started to ramble on as we joined the end of the line of people to get on the plane, about all the bars she'd read about, and pub crawls, which were apparently a big thing in Europe, and I zoned out, thoughts focused on one thing.

Might have to take some of Teddy's sleeping pills after all, just to stop myself from doing something stupid…

**Callie.**

Mark and I had passed the time in the terminal playing with the deck of cards he'd been so thoughtful to bring. I had been absolutely kicking his ass at 'Speed' when we were told our plane was boarding.

"We should go now," he'd stated as our flight was called, gathering up the cards on the chair in between us.

"Oh come on! I was totally beating you, and now you're just chicken-shit-ing out of it!" I was down to about a dozen cards, so Mark had most of the deck. With one more hand I think I probably would have beaten him.

"I would've come back!" He replied vehemently. Mark was a lot of things, and a sore loser was definitely one of them.

"Whatever, man… I had you beat." I stated truthfully as I stood and grabbed my boarding pass from my carry-on.

We joined the queue of people to board the plane and after a few minutes, I was handing my ticket to the flight attendant. She went to scan it as Mark passed by me, waiting in the corridor for me. The woman scanning my ticket seemed to get a bit nervous as the ticket didn't seem to want to scan.

"I am so, so, sorry about this, ma'am." She apologized after three tries.

"Oh my gosh, please don't call me ma'am," I couldn't help but let out a light laugh and flash the poor woman a full smile, "Really, it's no problem. It's not like the plane's going to leave without me!"

The poor woman smiled at me, probably grateful that I wasn't pissed off about having to wait an extra few minutes while she manually keyed in the code.

"There you go, miss," she said, handing back my ticket, "I'm sorry about the delay."

Again I smiled at her, letting her know it wasn't a big deal, and headed towards Mark, who seemed to be looking past me, with a strange look on his face.

"You alright, Mark?" I asked, leveling with him.

"Yeah," he responded, tearing his eyes from whatever he'd been staring at. I looked over my shoulder trying to figure out what he was looking.

"Wow, what had your complete undivided att-" the words dried up in my mouth as I saw a flash of blonde hair quickly turn away, and a taller blonde woman bent over shaking.

I smiled despite myself. Even if nothing ever came of it, at least I'd get the opportunity to be trapped in the same space as the girl for the next eight hours. Now, I could only hope that we'd be sitting somewhere I could perve on her for the rest of the flight.

"Come on, Callie, let's go sit down, the smile on your face right now is freaking me out. It looks like you're trying to figure out how to get away with murder."

I swatted him in the arm, "I do not! This is my happy, possibly dirty thoughts face." I smiled widely at him as we started down the aerobridge to the cabin.

After handing our tickets to the hostess inside the door, we were directed about a quarter of the way down the plane, several rows past First Class. I was sitting on the aisle seat of the middle four seats, with Mark the next one in. After putting our large carry-on items in the overheads, I got out my iPod to listen to once we were up in the air. I didn't want anything to distract me from take-off. I loved the feeling! It was like a big rush of adrenaline. Once we're up in the air, I tend to get bored, and hate not being to just walk around, but take-off and landing I love.

A hand suddenly came down on my right leg. "Would you _please_ stop jiggling your leg? I know you're excited, but it's making my seat bounce a little."

He removed his hand, and this time on purpose, I started jiggling my leg up and down, smiling over at him, the challenge evident in my eyes. I could see him calculating the best way to make me stop; ignore me so I get bored of teasing him, or physically restrain me until we're in the air? Typical boy, went with option two.

His hands came down on the offending leg, and I attempted to shake him off, to no avail. Time was, not too long ago, I could've removed his hands, but he really had gotten stronger in the past year, and I could see I wasn't going to win this round. Still, the fighting spirit in me wouldn't let me give up, so I kept squirming. Until I saw her.

She was walking up the aisle towards me, large carry-on bag clutched to her chest. She appeared nervous, and was reading the aisle numbers printed on the overheads in the middle, as in, right above my head. I was dimly aware of Mark's hands still on my thigh, but stopped fighting completely, tension draining from my body as I took the opportunity to watch the beautiful girl walk towards me.

My first assessment of her had not done her justice, I thought, now being able to observe her much more closely. She was beautiful. There were no other words. Except maybe 'breathtaking'. Or 'otherworldly'.

"Ay dios mio," I breathed, as the girl looked directly at me, and I felt like drowning in those perfect sapphire eyes.

And then it was gone. She walked past me, and it took all my self control not to crane my head around the seat and watch her, so I knew where she was. What was this uncontrollable urge I had to be near her? I am hardcore. I don't do sissy little girl crushes on girls I've never met. _Except for her_, a little voice in my head whispered.

"Gah!" I exclaimed, becoming painfully aware that Mark had been trying to get my attention, and had given up verbally, deciding instead to pinch the thigh his hands were still resting on. I smacked his hands, and he removed them, holding them up in a sign of peace.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I thought you had gone into a state of shock!"

My leg still hurt, and the adrenaline was rushing from a combination of blue eyes and the suddenness of pain. "You—You are lucky that I love you, you know that?" I exclaimed, probably louder than necessary.

"Every day, Callie, every day." He leaned in, sneaking a peak backwards in between our chairs, "She's sitting two rows back, on the other side of the aisle." He whispered conspiratorially with a wink.

"Thanks, Mark." And I did appreciate it. The boy knew me too well for my own good, sometimes.

The safety announcements began to play on the screens, and the soothing, pre-recorded voice began its spiel about the 'safety features of this aircraft' and I attempted to concentrate. Probably fairly important information, but I wasn't paying attention.

My head and libido were two rows back, on the other side of the aisle.

**Reviews make my day. Seriously.**


	3. Living life and last looks

**A/N:** Again, massive thankyou's and chocolate covered strawberries to everyone who has put this story on their alerts, favourites and especially to those who have taken the time to comment. I had planned to have this chapter up days ago, but was unfortunately struck down with an awful cold/flu/cough thing (blame making out with an ex, a really hot German exchange student, excessive amounts of cider, and karaoke), and had the hardest time concentrating. Anyways, I'm kind of better now (or at least I'm not coughing incessantly anymore), so here be the next chapter, even if it's a bit shorter than what I wanted.

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honor belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done**

**Callie.**

Trying to sleep on planes must be one of the most difficult things in the world. I had been trying (and failing) to fall asleep for the better part of the last three hours, making it well past 1am Miami-time for me.

I had sneakily glanced back over my chair a few times, trying to get a glimpse of the blonde who was currently occupying my thoughts. First, when my blanket fell into the aisle, and I _had_ to lean out of my chair to grab it. Again, when the gentleman behind me apologized for accidentally kicking my chair. The last time had been when Mark wanted to go to the bathroom; instead of him awkwardly clambering over me, I opted to get out of my seat to let him out, and stretch my legs.

That time, when I had glanced oh-so-casually at the blonde, her and her friend seemed to be examining something in her hand. Whatever it was must have been pretty important, because they both looked quite serious and were talking in hushed, reverent tones. She had the most adorable crinkle on her brow when she was concentrating so hard.

I was curious, I won't deny that. Curiosity, however, probably doesn't excuse what I did next. Once Mark had returned, I settled back in my seat for a few minutes. Just so, you know, it didn't look way suspicious.

Once a bit of time had passed, I chanced a peek back. She was still focused on whatever was in her hand. I turned to tell Mark I'd be back, but he had his headphones in and was breathing evenly, seemingly asleep. I'm pretty sure the boy could sleep though a hurricane.

I got up, extending my arms above my head to work out the kinks in my body, and I was rewarded with the blonde looking up from her lap and fixing me with a piercing blue stare. Suddenly I was floating in an azure haze, unable and not wanting to break free. I was pretty sure I'd never find anything as beautiful as those eyes; and then she smiled.

She smiled at me, a big smile, and the world around me ceased to exist. Her smile was… well the only word I could think of was 'magical'. Then, she bit her bottom lip and a whole slew of words to describe this smile started running through my head: hot, sexy, filthy, dirty…. Thoughts of those teeth scraping against my neck and body in tandem with those lips filled my now sex-crazed mind.

For a second I couldn't respond, and then, almost as if by instinct, I felt a dirty grin of my own cross my face. For good measure, I ran my fingers through my hair, just to fight off the limpness that comes with flying, of course.

Glancing around the darkened cabin, I noted that like Mark, most people were asleep. Training my eyes back on the blonde, I shot her a look, one eyebrow raised. Mark once joked that my eyebrow was my secret weapon, that no-one could resist it. It was with that look that I walked past her, on my way to the bathroom. Was I making an effort to walk with a little extra sway to my hips? Perhaps. Was I doing it in the hope that she was watching? Definitely.

I got to the bathroom, about 8 rows behind where she was sitting and looked across my shoulder as I opening the door. _Hells yeah_, I thought to myself triumphantly, seeing her leaning around her chair, eyes trained on me.

Shooting her another suggestive smile, I walked into the bathroom, closing the door and sliding the bolt into place. I didn't have to go to the bathroom; I had just wanted to see—_Oh crap!_ In my lusty craze of making her want me, I had completely forgotten to look at what was in her hands. _It's cool, I'll just hang in here for a few minutes, and th—_A few sharp knocks on the door drew my attention from the mirror.

"Just a minute," I called out, resuming checking my make-up.

The next set of raps against the door made me let out an exasperated sigh. I opened the door, ready to ask this person _why_ they couldn't wait another minute to use the bathroom. The words died on my lips when I saw the person on the other side of the door.

Anything I might have said was swallowed by the warm lips on mine, and I was pushed back into the bathroom stall. I threw my hands out behind me, trying to find a purchase on the wall, as those lips continued to do wonderful things to me. I instantly mourned their loss as she turned away from me to close and lock the door before leaning on it, eyeing me hungrily.

"I've wanted to do that since Miami," she confessed breathily.

"I've been wanting to do a lot more than that," I replied honestly, pinning the blonde against the door with my body. I grab her hips with my hands and crash her body into mine, before sliding around to her perfect ass and pulling her even closer, slipping my thigh in between her legs, eliciting a gasp from the blonde.

I captured her lips in a bruising kiss, and her fingers tangled themselves in my dark hair, drawing us closer together.

I thought this might have been the best kiss I'd ever had. Her lips fit so perfectly against mine, it was like a dream. At least, I thought that until I felt her tongue tentatively stroke my bottom lip, asking for permission. I parted my lips, and she took the invitation, plunging her tongue deep inside my mouth. Now, _now_, it was the best kiss I'd ever had.

The hands in my hair wrenched my mouth from her, only to feel those soft lips at my neck, sucking and biting. My head fell back of its own accord, granting her full access. I was pretty sure she was going to leave a mark; I couldn't bring myself to care because it felt so damn good. My own hands were not idle; stroking the soft skin just above her jeans, under her shirt, delighting in the goose bumps I could feel in their wake.

I couldn't help but let out a low moan as she continued her ministrations over my pulse point, and then continued down, over my collarbone, before kissing the flesh just above each of my breasts. I felt her smile against my chest, apparently pleased with the reaction she was invoking in me. And what a reaction it was; I felt hot and cold and tingly all over, all at once.

Combing her fingers through to the ends of my long hair, she grabbed the lapels of my jacket and pulled me in, leaning up to whisper in my ear.

"You know, Callie, it isn't nice to tease a poor girl like that. Certain people might be inclined to follow you into an airplane bathroom and have her way with you to get even." My breathing hitched as a thousand thoughts of taking her up on that ran through my head at light speed.

She pulled back, her cheek ghosting along mine, to look me in the eyes. Her eyes, which I'd always seen as a bright blue, had darkened considerably, now closer to the color of the ocean at dusk.

I reached for her hips, intent on following through with one of the million scenarios streaming through my mind, when we both paused as the air hostess' voice over the sound system, "We are encountering some unexpected turbulence. Would all passengers please return to your seats, and make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened. Thank you." As if to illustrate her point, the cabin shuddered a little, which only served to minimize the space between us even more, my thigh pressing a little harder in between hers.

Really? The plane could have crashed right now, and this was exactly where I would want to be.

"Ok, Callie?" She whispered in my ear. God, I could listen to her say my name all day… _Wait. How does she even _know_ my name? We've never actually spoken…_

It was then that the hands grasping my lapels moved to my arms and started shaking me back and forth.

"Callie!" It was louder, and more forceful. And it didn't sound like her light, lilting voice anymore; the voice was deeper, rougher. She actually sounded a little like Mark.

It was that thought that propelled me back into consciousness; I opened my eyes to see my best friend staring at me intently, an amused and somewhat self-satisfied smirk on his face.

_It was just a dream; it was just a dream… The best dream I've ever had in my life, but still only a dream…_

I actually wanted to cry a little at the thought; then a different thing occurred to me.

"Mark… Why exactly did you feel the need to wake me up?" I was dreading the answer.

"Well, as much as you _really_ seemed to be enjoying it, I didn't think you'd want everyone else on the plane to have as much fun with it." I wanted to bury my head in my hands, but instead stayed quiet to allow him to continue; I couldn't figure out how embarrassed to be if I didn't know what I'd done. "At first you were just kinda squirmy. I didn't get a response when I asked if you were OK, and then you had a big smile on your face and started moaning. That was when I thought I had better wake you up."

Now I actually _did_ bury my face into my palms.

"That's so fucking embarrassing," I murmured through my fingers.

"It's alright, almost everyone's asleep, and there was no-one walking by at the time. It was actually pretty hot. Would love to know what _exactly_ you were dreaming about, that got you all hot and bothered. Was it Blondie back there?" I had a love/hate relationship with my expressive face, definitely hating it right now, when Mark didn't even wait for an answer, "It was, wasn't it? It's even hotter now."

"Seriously, Mark? Shut up."

Unlike him, he actually did refrain from saying anything further. This just meant that he knew he'd only get shit from me at this point, and therefore it was better in his head. I loved the boy, but he was such a dirty manwhore sometimes.

_I can't believe I dreamt that all up. Maybe I'm crazy? No, I would know if I was crazy. It was a dream, it's not like I was hallucinating or anything._ I let out a soft scoff at even questioning my own sanity. _But what kind of person has dreams like that about someone they've never even met?_ I asked myself, giving it some thought. _Really horny ones, that's who. I really need to get laid…_

It really had been a long time. It had been so long, not since before everything with Taylor and Jason had gone down. Not that I couldn't have gotten some if I'd wanted, I just—I needed time to heal and recover emotionally.

Now though, it would appear that my sub-consciousness was giving me a huge glaring green light to enjoy life again. This trip with Mark was supposed to be a new beginning. A brief reprieve from real life, Miami and all the shitty memories I've accrued over the past year.

Glancing discreetly over my shoulder, I noted that the blonde who had featured in my dream was now apparently asleep, eyes closed, head lolling to the left, headphones firmly in place.

I wasn't kidding myself, I knew there was a million, if not billion, to one chance I'd ever see her again. If nothing else, I would always be thankful to the girl for making me realize that I was ready. Ready to _live_ again, not to just survive.

I settled back in my chair, using the controller in my seat to put _Tangled_ on, with a small smile on my mouth.

Some point after Rapunzel stuffed Flynn into her wardrobe, I must have drifted off (a dreamless sleep this time, I might add), because the next thing I knew the cabin lights were on and the air-hostess was offering me breakfast. Although I'm not that big on breakfast, I accepted with a mumbled thanks masquerading as a yawn, and began to pick at the tray while Mark dug into his with relish.

The next hour and a half flew by, excuse the pun, and before I knew it, the air hostess was over the loud speaker again, "Ladies and gentlemen, as you may have noticed we have begun our descent into London, Heathrow. Would all passengers please return to your seats and make sure your seat belts are securely fastened. Ensure all tray tables are stowed, and that your seats are in the upright position. At this time, we would like to advise that all electronic equipment must be switched off for landing."

Under the guise of stretching, I took a quick look behind me. She was pulling her headphones out of her ears, looking awake and alert, probably the antithesis of what I looked like now. Her eyes locked on mine, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't look away. It was as though my body had been asleep, and now I had pins and needles all over. It wasn't painful, it was like heat spreading through my limbs. Ah, who was I kidding? I wasn't trying to look away. _I wish I could look at her every day_. It was a testament to how much peace I'd made with my insane attraction to the girl behind me; I didn't even question the thoughts like that that kept popping into my head.

It was only when a very large man came barreling down the aisle towards me that we broke our eye contact, reluctantly.

If that was the last time I got to look at the blonde, at least it was a good one.

**A/N:** I know that I didn't cover much time again, but I do promise that next chapter will cover atleast a few days, and _should_be up by Thursday-ish.

**Reviews are like really good kisses, sometimes seemingly unattainable, but mind-blowing when you get them. Care to blow my mind?**


	4. No Freaking Way

A/N: I want to apologize, firstly, for making you wait so long in between updates. I went out of state last week for 5 days, and have worked over 12 hours each day since. Good news is I only had to work 9 hours today, so although I am battling fatigue, I wanted to get this out (you have Naomilyloveless to thank for giving me the push I needed). It's more of a filler chapter (and Arizona heavy), but there will absolutely definitely be Calzona interaction next chapter, **I promise** (you'll see). I sat down to write the next chapter, and this is what came out. I also have half a day off tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to spend a big chunk of that writing the next chapter. Happy Easter, every one.

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honor belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done.**

**Arizona.**

The rest of the flight into London had been fairly uneventful. I had again declined any pharmaceuticals in lieu of my very _occupied_ thoughts. I had two things on my mind, that girl, and my Dad's gift.

She hadn't looked back again, but when we'd locked eyes that last time, before that guy got in our way, I could feel it. I could feel that _thing_, and I felt like she had felt it to.

I realize exactly how insane that sounds. I mean, I've never had an actual conversation with her, never even said "hello". But I think that if I ever did, it would change my life. _She _would change my life.

The only problem was that she was on her trip with her _boy_friend. Who apparently, she loves, if her declaration on the plane was anything to go by. I'll admit, having to hear that one hurt a little bit.

Like I said, insane.

I touched the new pendant hanging underneath my shirt and drew comfort from it. That was my Dad's gift, and the other reason my mind was swirling.

In my family, we don't talk much about my brother, Danny. He was—had been a Marine, just like my father, and my grandfather before him. He had enlisted a little over three years ago, when he was just eighteen, and I was sixteen. I was eighteen when my mom came to get me from school early, to tell me that my older brother, one of my best friends, had been killed in the line of duty.

I don't remember much from that week. It was only last year, but it had that hazy quality one associates with childhood memories, remembered only in snippets; the algebra class my mom got me from, the songs on the radio on the way to the base, the heels of my shoes sinking into the soft earth at the cemetery… It's weird, the things that stick with us.

Danny had been my best friend, apart from Teddy. He had told me all of his secrets, and he had known all of mine. He was the first person I'd come out to, when I was fifteen, and had a crush on his girlfriend, Lana. He had been the most amazing, supportive brother I ever could have asked for. He hadn't even batted an eye, he'd simply said, "Okay. Here's the deal then, you don't steal my girlfriends, and I won't steal yours." Then he'd laughed, ruffled my hair, and we'd gone back to playing Mario Kart like nothing had happened. (Ironically enough, a year later I'd found out that Lana was gay, although it had nothing to do with me. I stuck to my promise, and never hit on her.)

When Danny had been 15, he and his best friend, Teddy's brother Owen, had snuck out and driven to an "underground" gig for the then relatively unknown Snow Patrol, held in some field about an hour away. Owen drove them out in his pick-up, and they had planned to come back the next day, thinking that our parents wouldn't notice.

Well, they noticed. This was before every child who could read had a cell phone, so my parents were frantic, my mother more obviously so. They ended up calling the police in the morning, only to have Danny and Owen show up about an hour later, grins from ear to ear. Those grins had faded pretty quickly once they realized how much trouble they were in. They had at least had the common sense to look abashed when my Dad and Owen's dad, also a military man, started yelling at them, and made them personally apologize to the police.

Later that night, however, Danny had come into my room to chat, and despite being grounded for the foreseeable future, he was in high spirits.

"Check this out!" he'd said excitedly, closing the door behind him.

"Dude, you realize you're gonna be grounded for, like, ever, right?" The oh-so-eloquent 13-year-old me had replied.

"Nah, I'll be free in a couple weeks, a month, tops. Anyway, it was totally worth it," and Danny had told me about how he and Owen had been wandering around the outskirts of the field, gotten lost, and had actually ended up running into the band. He said they'd been really cool, and they'd ended up hanging out for nearly an hour, talking and playing their guitars.

When their manager had called them away, Nathan Connolly, the lead guitarist, had signed two guitar picks, and given one to each of them.

Danny had kept his with him all the time. He'd taken it to war with him, a reminder that he had other dreams to live, once he'd served his country.

Of course, he was never going to get the chance now, but my parents had gotten pick made into a pendant on a fine platinum chain for me to wear. It was coated in resin, so it was a lot hardier than your standard pick.

When Teddy and I had opened it on the plane, per my father's instructions, we couldn't believe what they'd done. It was the perfect gift, a reminder of my brother, a reminder to live my dreams, to be happy, and to have Danny close to my heart forever.

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't notice that the plane had landed until Teddy gave me a nudge, and I realized that the cabin was almost empty; the Latina was definitely gone, anyway.

We both grabbed our stuff from the overheads and enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs, walking towards the terminal. Towards what was going to be a _super_ holiday, a life-changing experience, and a dream come true.

* * *

><p>"So… What do you want to do now?" I asked Teddy, flopping back on my bed, the top one of a bunk bed in a four-bed dorm room.<p>

"Me? I want to sleep…" Teddy replied, and I heard her body hit the mattress.

As much as I agreed with her, and could feel my own body singing the praises and hymns of sleep, "No." I replied, "We can't sleep now. It's three o'clock in the afternoon here. If we sleep now, we'll be wrecked for days."

"So what do we do to kill the time?"

"Well, we could always walk back to that main street, near the train station. Check out what's around, maybe get something for dinner. Then we can turn in early, and be ready to go bright and early tomorrow!"

"Alright." I heard her groan as she pulled herself up off the bed. "Let's go then."

We headed out, walking the half a mile back to the main street, to go to what looked like a supermarket.

"Sainsbury's?" I tested out, "It sounds so _English_!" Due to our near exhaustion, that was enough to make me and Teddy giggle just a little.

"Come on, babe, let's get something for tea."

After grabbing a few things, deciding that chicken salad would be something we could easily throw together, we headed back to the hostel.

The way the hostel was laid out, the front desk, computer corner, kitchen, and the common room/bar were on the ground floor. The basement held a laundry, and the largest bathroom facilities, and all the rooms were from the second floor up, ours being on the third floor, room two.

Around seven o'clock, when Teddy and I couldn't keep our heads from hitting our chests, we headed upstairs. Surprisingly, I managed to change into my pajamas, interrupted by what felt like a thousand yawns, and lay in bed. I let my thoughts drift, knowing that it was only going to be a few minutes before I fell asleep, and was thinking about the girl from Miami when I finally lost consciousness.

I awoke to the sound of Teddy's alarm; I was impressed that she had managed to remember to set one. Blearily, I looked at my own phone. _Ten am? _I was surprised, I was normally such a morning person, and had an internal body clock which tended to wake me up before eight each morning. _Must have been much more tired than I'd thought._

Teddy, on the other hand, was definitely _not_ a morning person, I could hear her mumbling, cursing her phone for having woken her.

"Arizona? You awake?"

"Yeah… I think I'm just as finely tuned to your alarm as I am to mine."

Now that I was awake, I was excited.

"So, what are we gonna do today?" I asked, sitting up and stretching.

"I don't know. I figured we could just catch the train into London, have a look around. Go from there?"

"I think we get breakfast included before 11, so maybe shower, eat, and then head out?" I leant over the edge of my bed to look at Teddy on the bottom of the other bunk, and she nodded her assent.

After much needed showers, a breakfast of toast, croissants and fresh fruit, we headed out. Sitting on the train, I let my mind wander, and it strode right back over to the Latina that had plagued my thoughts for the last 24hours. I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever see her again. I mean, London was huge, no doubt, but still... There was always a chance, right? Maybe it was only a one to a million chance, but it was enough to distract me for the entire day; looking for the brunette around every other corner, searching very face on the street. I even thought I saw her once, when we changed trains to the Jubilee line at Green Park, but I must have been mistaken; it was so busy, there must have been thousands of people in the general area.

I had all but resigned myself to never seeing the girl again, and I flopped back onto one of the couches in the common room with a sigh.

"What's up, babe?" Teddy asked me, leaning in to be heard over the noise; it was 6.30pm and it seemed like everyone at the hostel was in the immediate vicinity.

I rolled my eyes at her with a wry smile, "I can't stop thinking ab-"

"About that girl from Miami." Teddy finished for me.

"Ho-"

"How did I know? Because I know you, Arizona. Once you fix on someone, you can't get them out of your head. It took me a little while to figure out what you were doing today, but then I realized you were looking for her." She finished somewhat triumphantly; my lack of denial was all the confirmation she needed.

"Hey! How are you guys going tonight?" a cute redhead with an accent had sat down on the couch opposite us, beer in hand.

"Hi!" I replied, grateful for the distraction, "I'm good, thanks. Having a good night?" I gestured vaguely around.

"Yeah, I am. It's a good hostel, I've been in some seriously dodgy ones, but this one is great! Oh, I'm Lily, by the way." she finished, swapping her beer so she could extend her hand.

Taking it, I replied, "Arizona. And this is my friend Teddy." Teddy meant forward to clasp the proffered hand.

"So where are you guys from? I'm guessing the States?"

"Yeah, we're from Miami. How about you?" I asked, "Australia?"

"I'm impressed; no-one can ever guess where we're from. Although apparently in Adelaide we speak quite differently from everywhere else in Australia. Something to do with being settled by the Brits," she let out a short laugh.

"'We'?" Teddy enquired.

"Oh, I'm here with my best friend, Robyn. She's just over there," she pointed to where a pretty brunette girl was talking to the bartender. "Hey! Robyn! Come here!" she hollered.

The brunette said something to the bartender, probably excusing herself, and headed our way, standing next to Robyn, hands on hips. "Hi! I'm Robyn," she offered us a small wave which we returned, "Sorry I was just signing up for the knock out pool tourney later. Hey if you guys can play, you should sign up too, we could use more people. Winner gets a £50 bar tab."

Me and Teddy looked at each other at the mention of a pool tourney. We were both pretty good, and a bar tab was never unwelcome.

"Robyn, this is Teddy, and Arizona," she gestured at each of us, "They're from Miami. Arizona guessed that I was Australian. I was telling her she's the first person here who's actually guessed right."

"No kidding... How'd you know?" she asked me, seemingly genuinely interested.

"Ah, we grew up Marine brats, moving from base to base every year or two. I've heard almost every accent under the sun," I responded modestly.

"Ah, ok. That's cool… Wait. You're from Miami?" at our nod, she continued, "Are you guys here with that other couple? They got here a few hours ago, I think they went to the supermarket to get something…" At the mention of a couple from Miami, my head started spinning. _No way, it couldn't be them. There would have to be hundreds of other people from Miami in London at the moment. _I started talking myself down, reasoning with myself.

That all went out the window, though, as she gestured towards the door. There, standing not thirty feet away was the girl. And her boyfriend, but I really couldn't have cared less. Because she was looking right at us, a look of shock replaced by a wide smile gracing her beautiful face. She cocked her head to one side, and seemed to make a decision. She said a few words to the boyfriend, and he nodded, walking off to my left, and she... She started walking directly towards us.

No. Freaking. Way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: For those of you wondering: yes, in Adelaide, we apparently _do_ speak differently than everyone else. And I never had anyone correctly guess where we were from when I was over there.  
><strong>

**Even if I don't deserve them for making you wait this long, I still love reviews. They're actually better than chocolate. And given that it's Easter, I have a lot of chocolate.**


	5. Tempted by Fate

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts and kind words of encouragement, you guys are awesome! Apologies for the delay in this chapter, I had my life taken over by work, and the awesomeness that is The Good Wife and Kalinda. To make up for it, I stayed up until now (2.52am) in order to post and I made this chapter a bit longer, and as promised, our girls finally meet :) **

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honor belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Callie.<strong>

_Ay dios mio,_ I internally chanted. There she was. The girl from Miami. The one I couldn't stop thinking about.

This was fucking crazy. Seriously, what are the chances that out of the hundreds, if not thousands, of hostels in London, that she would be here? _Fate_, that pesky little voice in my head whispered.

I dismissed it immediately; I don't believe in fate, that everything is predestined. I like to believe that I have a choice in life, in deciding the outcome. I've always been of the mind that if you want good things to happen to you, you have to earn them, or demand them. I think people use the concept of "fate" as an excuse way too often. Like, "what's meant to be will be"; people rely on God or the universe or whatever to just give you good things, because you deserve them.

My opinion? The universe or God or whatever presents you with opportunities and it up to you what you make of them. And you only get so many chances.

That's why when I walked into the common room of the hostel and saw her standing there, I knew that _this_ was an opportunity; one I'd be a moron not to take.

"Holy shit…" Mark had realized I wasn't listening to him anymore, and that my attentions were focused elsewhere, "Is that—"

"Yes, Mark. It is." I replied, not able to tear my eyes away from the blonde, who was currently talking to the two Australian girls we'd met a couple hours earlier, Robyn and Lily.

I could feel that my jaw was slack, but I was powerless to control myself. I still couldn't believe that she was _here_… I didn't even have time to properly process the enormity of the situation, when the brunette, Robyn, I think, gestured at us, and the girls from Miami looked directly at me… or, well, us, technically, I guess. But in that instance, the world around me faded away, and Mark was just a ghost. Not faded away like a cheesy romantic movie, but more like the sounds around me dulled, and I wouldn't have been able to rip my eyes from the blue ones 30 feet away even if I'd wanted to.

She was looking at me with her own look of disbelief, and outside of my control, I could feel a huge grin break out on my face. I made a decision in that moment, to take the opportunity that life was giving me, and see what could happen.

I turned to Mark, tilting my head towards the bar, "Hey, get us a couple drinks? I'm gonna go over there-ish…"

He didn't even reply, knowing exactly where I was going; he headed to the bar to get us a beverage and with a determined stride, I walked towards the blonde who had consumed my thoughts for the past two days.

"Hey, Robyn, Lily. Sorry to interrupt," I started, shooting a bright smile at the girl- I mean, group, "I just wanted to say thanks for this afternoon. It was so nice of you to help us out, I'll admit, I was possibly a _teensy_ bit intimidated by all the people around," We shared a laugh at that, thinking back to how we'd met earlier that day.

_Mark and I had been standing, probably looking a little lost, just inside the main doors to "Hillspring Lodge" surrounded by more than a few people, when two girls had had been walking past. They slowed with bright, enquiring smiles, and one of them, a tall brunette, had asked us, "First night here?" gesturing at our bags._

"_Yeah, it is. We spent last night in a hotel, and wow this place is different." I'd responded, my own exuberance growing to mirror theirs._

"_Well, check in is just around that corner," The other, a shorter redhead, pointed behind her._

"_Oh, thanks! Do you work here?" I asked; most people back home weren't this helpful or friendly unless they were paid to be._

"_Nah, we've just been here for so long that I know pretty much everything, and everyone. I'm Robyn, by the way. And this is my best friend, Lily." They held out their hands, and Mark and I had grasped them in turns, introducing ourselves. _

"_Nice to meet you both. Where abouts are you guys from?" Lily queried, starting to walk us towards the check-in desk, "America, or Canada?"_

"_The States, Miami. Where are you from?" Mark had replied, I could practically feel him eyeing the girls; I didn't really blame him, they were pretty hot._

"_Oh, nice. I've always wanted to go. We're from Australia, Adelaide. Don't worry, no-one's ever heard of it." She'd added off our confused expressions as we reached our destination. "Well, here's your stop. We'll be down in the bar later tonight if you wanna come for a few drinks later? There's also a knock-out pool tournament happening if you're interested. It's just through those doors back there. I'll leave you in Jonah's very capable hands here," She directed the comment at the young boy behind the desk with a smile, and the two friends had subsequently flitted off with a wave._

"Oh, it was no problem. You guys just looked a bit dazed and confused, so I had to help." She replied simply, bringing me out of my memory. "Do you want to join us?" She asked, indicating to the empty seat to her left, directly across from the blue-eyed bombshell I thought I'd never see again.

"I would love to. Mark's just over at the bar, getting us a drink" I tried to keep my eyes trained on Robyn, but I couldn't help but glance towards the blonde. She was looking directly at me, a near perfect poker face in place; only her eyes betrayed her, they were so expressive, nerves, astonishment and what I hoped was lust, although that could have been my own feelings reflected back.

"Awesome! Did you guys sign up for the pool knock-out? Should be a good one this week." Lily asked.

"Yeah, we're definitely in!" There was something about these two girls that made me want to be as excited and happy as they were. The energy buzzing through my veins was totally due to them. It had _nothing_ to do with the blonde sitting comfortably three feet away. Nothing at all.

"What are we 'in'?" Mark had joined us just in time to hear the last words from my mouth, he handed me a large bottle with "Bulmers" marked on the label.

"Pool knock-out." I responded, taking an experimental sniff, looking down at the bottle was a convenient way of keeping my eyes off of the girl opposite me, lest I become a crazy person who just stares.

"Oh yeah, I signed us up while I was up there. It's apple cider. Bartender recommended it, it's pretty nice actually." He responded, taking a healthy swig of his own bottle.

I shrugged, taking a sip of my own. I'd try just about anything once, and this was surprisingly good.

Tilting my head to take a bigger mouthful, I allowed my eyes to rake up the reclining blonde's form. She was wearing light blue jeans and a dark green shirt with some kind of writing on the front. Jeans and a t-shirt, and I was already feeling that familiar warmth of attraction coursing through my veins. Jeans and freakin' T-shirt. God I had it bad.

Mark was never one to enjoy a silence "So… Hi!" He offered his hand to the companion of my current obsession, "I'm Mark."

"Oh, my god!" Robyn's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so rude; I didn't even introduce you guys!"

"Ah that's cool, Robyn. I'm Teddy," the willowy blonde took Mark's hand.

"Arizona. Nice to meet you," Oh, sweet Jesus. The way her name rolled from her lips was melodic, a slight southern twang over the sweet voice of an angel. You'll have to excuse me, when I get excited, I tend towards hyperbole. You get my point though; I felt I could listen to her speak every day and never get tired of it. So consumed with my thoughts was I, that I didn't realize that the entire group was looking at me expectantly. _Shit! This is the part where you introduce yourself, crazy lady!_

"Callie. Is me. Mine. My name, I mean." _Oh yeah, _real_ smooth, Callie, _I mentally, groaned and chastised myself.

"Callie… It's super nice to meet you," If I'd thought her voice sounded beautiful around her own name, I was blown away by how mine rolled off her tongue, as though she'd been saying my name for years. I couldn't help but imagine how my name would sound falling from those pink lips in a breathy moan; or how she would scream my name in ecstasy as—_Fuck, Callie. Slow down, would you? _

Despite the twinkle of amusement dancing in bright blue eyes and Mark's stifled chuckle, I held out my hand, thankful that it didn't seem to be shaking. I was prepared for her touch; everything about our non-existent relationship so far had been intense, inspiring feelings in me I'd never gotten from a simple look before. Or at least, I _thought_ I was prepared. When she leant forward to clasp my hand, the warmth that had spread through my body earlier became a prickly heat, and I thanked the gods for my tanned complexion for it hid the blush I was positive I had.

I can't decide if we held, I mean, _shook_ hands for too long or not long enough. I kind of lost track of time, that tiny bit of skin-to-skin contact in combination with her deep blue eyes had sent me reeling.

"Callie?" Mark's voice broke me out of my reverie.

Turning to face him, I was about ready to scold him for interrupting, when I realized that the rest of the group was now staring at me. Evidently, I had zoned out for longer than usual, and he had been trying to get my attention. God bless Mark, for at that stage he discreetly cleared his throat and flicked his eyes towards my hand, which was still gripping Arizona's, we had definitely been "shaking hands" for longer than was socially acceptable.

As if on cue, we each retracted our hands, and I'd like to believe that she, like me, did so reluctantly.

"Sorry, what's up?" I aimed for nonchalance, taking a long swig from my cider for effect, and I think I hit somewhere in the general vicinity.

"Robyn and Lily were just asking if we knew each other, since we're all from Miami. And I was saying about how _big_ Miami is, and I asked you how many people there are in Miami…" He spoke almost as though he were speaking to someone who had an IQ of fifty.

"Oh! Um, I think from memory the metro population sits around five and a half million." Off the group's impressed faces, I modestly added, "I have a head for numbers, and information and random stuff like that." It was true, not to sound up myself, but I was pretty smart.

"Alright! Arizona! And… Will!" The bartender was shouting to be heard over the din, "You guys are up first!"

"Guess that's me then. Watch," I don't know if it was it just my imagination but she seemed to look pointedly at that, "And learn. Since I'm gonna be kicking all of your butts soon." She finished confidently, strutting over to the pool table. The confidence? It was sexy as all hell.

I was soon to learn that her self-assurance of her skills was well deserved. She didn't look like a threat, all blonde curls, blue eyes and dimples, but man… that girl could wield a pool cue. Her opponent, Will, was a twenty something, good looking guy with a swagger that clearly announced that he thought he was awesome at pool.

If one were inclined to watch him, they would see that that confidence diminished with every ball that Arizona put down. Of course, I could not tear my eyes away from the blonde, and the delicious view I was presented with, every time she leaned over the table to take a shot. One of the hottest things in the world, in my opinion, was watching a beautiful girl kicking a boy's ass at pool. And she was amazing. It was over in less than five minutes, Arizona beating the poor guy with five of his balls still on the table.

After shaking Will's hand, Arizona went to the bar and ordered a drink before leaning back on it and shooting me a triumphant smile. This girl was going to be the death of me. That simple expression had my pulse racing. Somehow though, I managed to keep my cool, and returned the smile. That was a normal response, right? Luckily I didn't have time to dwell, as the bartender made his next announcement.

"Mark and Robyn! You guys are next!" Mark and Robyn sauntered up to the table, shaking hands and joking around like they'd been friends for years, not hours. I knew Mark was good, we'd play against each other quite often, and he always put up a challenge, even if I did usually beat him. He was, at least, better than Robyn, and beat her eight to three. A few more games passed, and I busied myself talking to Lily, Teddy and Mark (except for when the girls played, Teddy winning narrowly), while Robyn joined Arizona at the bar.

"Callie! Cary! You're up!"

Arizona was still at the bar as I approached the table, about five or six feet away, and as I began to rack the balls, Mark joined Arizona bending down to speak to her. As Cary, a shortish blonde guy, lined up his shot to break the triangle, I watched as Mark and Arizona lined up very different shots and tossed them back like pros.

I was so distracted that Cary had to nudge me to prompt me to take my shot; I couldn't help it, she had turned to watch the game, and her tongue had shot out of her mouth to swipe at a rivulet of alcohol that was at the side of her mouth.

Shaking myself out of my daze with great effort, I analyzed the table, deciding that solids would be the better choice. If there was one thing that could keep my mind off the blonde, it was a good game of pool. I lined up, certain to lean over the table towards Arizona, knowing full well that with the top I was wearing, there would be an ample view of my cleavage. I made sure to lean over the table in ways that would afford the blonde at the bar the best views of my body.

Unsurprisingly, I won the game; I mean, I _am_ awesome at pool. I was on my way to the bar to talk to Arizona – and Mark, of course- when she was called in the next game, against Teddy. I still had one of the cues in my hand, so I slowed my walk, making Arizona meet me halfway. As she grasped the stick from my hand, whether by design or accident, her fingers trailed over mine. The unexpected contact made her exhale sharply, and we were close enough that I could feel her breath ghost across my lips, the faint smell of vodka, and something that I think must just be pure Arizona. My eyes closed involuntarily, and when I opened them she was gone.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I paced the extra three steps to where Mark was at the bar.

"Christ, Callie. You two need to have sex." Off my affronted look, he added, "Hey, don't even act like you haven't been thinking about ripping those clothes off her body and having your way with her on top of the pool table." I didn't even bother to reply considering he was pretty close to the truth. Four more rounds of pool, as many shots of tequila for Mark and I each, another cider, and it was down to the final round.

Me versus Arizona.

By now, I was feeling pretty beyond tipsy, and I had lost track of how many drinks Arizona had consumed. Not that I'd know this until later, but we'd gotten a lot less subtle with our not-so-subtle flirting.

As she began to clumsily rack up the balls, I leant on the edge of the table to her left, arms grazing as I helped place the balls in the triangle.

My cue was leaning on the table on her right, and I took that as an opportunity to lightly press my front against her back to grab it with my right hand. I watched her knuckles go white as she gripped the edge of the cushioning.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we?" I murmured in her ear, taking care to make sure my mouth was right next to her ear, delighting in the shiver I felt run through her body.

She turned her head, making my lips graze her earlobe, and I had to resist the urge to take it in between my teeth, "Okay. If I win, you're buying my drinks for the rest of the night."

"Easy done," I acquiesced.

"And what do you want if you win?" she asked.

"_When_ I win, I'll let you know." I moved to her right, raising my left eyebrow with a smile, daring her to make me clarify.

She seemed unperturbed by my confidence, simply replying, "Game on, Callie."

And so began possibly the dirtiest game of pool I've ever played, and possibly the worst game I've ever played.

We were distracting each other any opportunity we had, when she was taking a shot, I'd stand on the other side of the table, and lean over. When I was getting ready to take mine, I'd screw up when I felt a well timed hand graze my ass.

Despite the cheating, we were evenly matched. The game went on until we were both playing on the black.

"Alright," she began, slightly swaying, "Top corner." She called the pocket she was to pot the black in.

"Let's see what you've got, Ar-zona." Did I mention I was definitely feeling the effects of alcohol?

She aligned herself, sliding the cue back and forth on the cradle of her fingers before taking the shot and missing, putting the black ball about two inches from the centre pocket. I watched with just a little smugness, knowing I could hit this shot, regardless of my intoxication level.

"Centre pocket," I called, watching a trace of apprehension cross her features.

With one swift crack of the pool cue, the game was over. The crowd watching erupted in cheers and applause, and I was suddenly very aware of exactly how many people had been watching Arizona and I tease each other to breaking point.

Ignoring that, I accepted the drink card the bartender handed to me, and let a huge smile take over my face.

The crowd began to disperse, and I went to the bar to use my shiny new card to get another drink (one I probably didn't need, but whatever). I sensed, rather than saw, Arizona come up behind me as I signaled James, the bartender, for two shots of tequila. Mark and the rest of our group were thankfully nowhere to be seen.

"So… Since you won, I guess I'll have to do what you tell me." At this point, I was positive I wasn't imagining the suggestiveness in her tone.

Looking into deep pools of blue, I ran my tongue along the back of my hand, taking pleasure in the way her eyes watched my mouth intently, hungrily, before shaking salt over the moistened flesh and handing her the salt shaker.

She mimicked my actions and I could not help but stare, possibly slack-jawed, at the path her tongue traced across the back of her hand, a thousand filthy thoughts about the tongue tracing patterns on _my_ skin running through my mind.

Wordlessly, I placed a shot with a lemon wedge on top in front of her.

"A shot of Tequila? That's what I have to do?" she asked, and I shook my head, a small smile playing around my lips as I looked up at her through my eyelashes.

"The tequila's just a celebratory drink between the two finalists of the pool tourney." Accepting that, we clinked glasses and licked, sipped and sucked, wincing just a little as the liquid burned down our throats.

"So, Callie." She leaned closer, her face mere inches away from mine, "What _exactly _am I doing for you?" Again, I didn't miss the way she spoke those words.

People may say that there's a higher power that has a hand in our lives, call it Fate, or God, or whatever. Me? I believe in identifying the opportunities the universe presents me with and making sure I don't let them pass me by.

And I could already tell that Arizona could turn out to be the most important opportunity in my life, and I would be damned if I was going to let her pass me by.

"For that," I near-whispered, "We'll definitely have to go somewhere more private."

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><p><strong>Reviews are better than beating boys at pool, and I <em>love<em> winning :)**


	6. Cheatin' and Creepin'

**A/N: I am SO sorry. I really, really didn't intend to leave you guys hanging for so long. The reason this took so long was a combination of awful writers block (which I'm still suffering from), ideas for other pairings and fandoms that won't leave my brain alone, the "finale fortnight" as I called it, a lack of time at home and even less on the computer, searching for a new job, Wicked, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the fact that I procrastinate and am very easily distracted by the internet and other people's fanfic. I think I need a beta to a) bounce ideas off of, and b) kick my ass into gear. If anyone's interested, send me a PM. This one goes out to those of you who sent me messages or left comments reminding me that there are people out there who are waiting ever so patiently for me to update. I really am sorry it took me so long, although this ended up being a bit of a monster chapter, so enjoy!**

**This chapter doesn't cover much in the way of time, but it does clear up a thing or two for our girls. I promise that eventually they **_**will**_** leave the hostel, and London for that fact, and go out in the real world. **

**No beta, so all mistakes are mine, and concrit is always welcome.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy. That honour belongs to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just playing with her characters, and will return them in mostly-new condition when I'm done.**

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><p><strong>Arizona.<strong>

I could have killed Mark. And Teddy.

I mean, I was drunk, so the murders may have been somewhat clumsy, and I'd definitely get arrested, but… Where was I? Oh yeah, I was going to kill my best friend.

It had started about two hours before, although I'd definitely lost track of time. I'd met her, the girl from the plane, from Miami. _Callie_, I said her name to myself, smiling. She and her friend Mark had met Robyn and Lily, and so had joined our conversation. When she smiled at me – the group, I mean – apologizing for something, I had to remind myself to keep breathing, and concentrated on keeping my mouth closed as I listened to her beautiful voice. And then she laughed, and I couldn't help but smile.

I'll admit, I was excited when she said she would be playing in the pool knock-out.

There was just something about watching Callie play pool that got me all kinds of hot. Maybe it was the way her body would lean over the table, which never failed to afford someone like me the best views. Maybe it was the look of concentration she got when she was lining up a shot, her brow crinkling adorably as she bit her full bottom lip, making me think about all the dirty things I wanted to do to her involving said lip. Or maybe it was the fact that now that we were playing one another, it was quickly becoming the dirtiest game of pool I'd ever played.

We weren't cheating or anything, not really, but we were definitely causing each other a fair amount of, shall we say, distraction. From the very start of the game, I was racking up the triangle, and then she'd gone and basically trapped me against the table with her body. I could feel her warm breath on my ear and neck, and I had to fight the urge to turn my head to the left and kiss her right then and there. Instead, I stopped racking and gripped the edge of the table to stop myself from touching her. Then we'd made our wager. I was so distracted by the feel of her body pressed up against mine and the feeling of her lips at my neck that I couldn't even think of a better bet. When she'd given hers, a cocky promise that she would win, it took all the strength I had not to pot the black then and there, desperate to let her win and have anything she wanted from me.

Despite it all, we were both pretty skilled, even with the large quantities of alcohol coursing through our systems, and we ended up both playing for the black, to win the game.

At this point, suffice it to say that I was drunk. And I'll just be honest, horny. The taunting and teasing we had engaged in during the game had definitely gotten me all hot and bothered in a way that was only compounded by the alcohol.

Studying the table, I knew, drunk or not, that I'd be able to hit this shot and win the game. The funny thing was, that usually super-competitive voice inside of me had taken a back-seat to the one inside of me telling me to give in to Callie. Knowing I was going to throw this game, I still had to put up appearances.

"Alright. Top corner." I called, knowing it'd be harder to fuck up this shot than it would be to make it.

"Let's see what you've got, Ar-zona." She slurred a little on my name betraying her own inebriation.

I lined up, trying to make the next shot for Callie as easy as possible, settling the black a couple inches from a pocket. I looked up at her, letting a bit of nervousness cross my face. It wasn't entirely faked either, as much as I wanted her, I was still just that teensy bit reserved about the whole thing. I could feel myself falling hard for this girl, and that was scaring the shit out of me.

"Centre pocket," she called, and damn it if her slight smugness wasn't super hot.

She lined up the shot, hitting the ball straight into the pocket, winning the game. It wasn't until the cheers and clapping erupted that I was suddenly very aware of the room around me. For so long now, I'd been in my "Me and Callie" bubble, and I found that now I was reluctant to leave it.

Nevertheless, the bubble had been popped, and now I was unabashedly watching Callie collect her drinks card from the bar, and walked (with only a little bit of a drunken sway, I might add) to join her at the bar. When I got there, there were two shots of tequila sitting on the bar, with a salt shaker and two slices of lemon.

Making sure to infuse my voice with as much suggestiveness as possible, "So… Since you won, I guess I'll have to do what you tell me."

Luckily I'd gotten that out before she ran her tongue over the back of her hand, because in that moment, my mouth went dry; the only thing I could think about was that tongue on my hand, and lips, and other parts of my anatomy. Wordlessly, she handed me the salt shaker, having sprinkled some over her own moistened flesh. I mimicked her actions, watching her eyes as they tracked the progress of my own tongue.

"A shot of Tequila? That's what I have to do?" I asked in response to the shot she placed in front of me. I was a bit disappointed, I had thought we were most definitely on the same page.

"The tequila's just a celebratory drink between the two finalists of the pool tourney." She responded, making my body flush with heat again, anticipation building once more.

After taking the shot, barely even feeling the usual burn, "So, Callie." I leaned in, "What _exactly _am I doing for you?" Again, I didn't try and hide the seductive tone of my voice; sure to make her know that I was game for anything.

"For that," She murmured, "We'll definitely have to go somewhere more private."

My pulse was racing, in an entirely good way; in anticipation, in lust and want. "Where'd you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking –umph!" Mark had slung his arm somewhat forcefully over Callie's shoulders. Mark. Her _boyfriend_. Who I heard her say she loves.

And just like that, reality came flooding back to me, momentarily forcing the effects of alcohol from my system, my mind sharpening for just long enough to realize what was happening. _What are you doing Arizona? She's in a _relationship_. And she's straight._ The last part came out as somewhat of an afterthought, it wouldn't be the first time I'd converted a straight girl. The fact that she was in a relationship though, that was important. I couldn't be that person, the one that gets in between a couple. _Not again, anyway_, that annoying voice inside of me whispered.

"What do you want, Mark?" Callie shot me an apologetic look, followed it with a slight eye-roll and shrug towards Mark. Despite everything, the actions made me smile.

"Actually," He huffed, and I could smell the Jaeger and Tequila from a foot away, "I wanted to talk to Blondie here!" I leaned back, causing his finger to narrowly miss poking me in the face.

"Me?" The surprise was completely genuine, _what could he possibly want with me? Probably wants to tell me to stop flirting with his girlfriend_, I thought, _I'll stop if she does_.

"Huh?" They were both looking at me with questioning expressions on their faces; it was Mark who'd spoken.

Realizing I had actually voiced my last thought, I was never more thankful for the fact that we were all drunk; it made derailing trains of thought so much easier. "What?"

"Hmm?" Mark was looking even more puzzled,

"Hey?" I was even getting confused now.

"O-kaaay…" Callie had apparently had enough, "Mark. What did you want? You said you needed Arizona."

"Oh! Yeah. I just wanted to ask you-" _Here it comes_, I thought, and started running through what I was going to say to defend my actions, "Is Teddy single?"

"What?" It was so far from what I'd thought he was going to say that I had no response. All I could think was that Callie seemed unperturbed by his question.

"Huh?" Was his eloquent response.

"Oh, no. We're not starting that again, are we?" Callie asked in trepidation.

"No." I was quick to allay her fears, "That just wasn't—Anyway. In answer to your question, Mark, yes, she is single." I had to indulge my curiosity for just a second, "Why do you wanna know?"

"Mark wants to know because he doesn't like getting in the middle of couples," _Amen to that,_ I thought, "Not since that time you got yourself punched in the face by Derek!" They both started laughing at some shared memory. I couldn't help but feel really weird to be witnessing this conversation.

"Um… OK. But, uh, yeah, she's single."

"Sweet! Don't wait up, Cal!" He straightened up (as much as he could in his state, anyway) clapped Callie and I on the back, and then strode off towards Teddy, who seemed to be in a comfortable conversation with Lily.

I just couldn't understand how she could sit here and pretend like it didn't matter that Mark was about to go hit on another woman. Not that she herself was all that innocent, no amount of alcohol could make me imagine the intensity of the way she had been blatantly flirting with me all night.

Blame it on the alcohol, but I couldn't contain the next words out of my mouth, "You're OK with that?" I jerked my head to the right, towards Mark who had now joined Teddy and Lily.

She looked really puzzled, "Yeah… Of course I am. Wait, are you alright with it? I know Mark isn't looking for anything serious, but he won't hide that fact from Teddy…"

Now it was my turn to try and wipe the bewilderment off my face, "Wow… So… But—You guys—" as Callie just took another sip of her drink, I gave up, "I've never met a couple in an open relationship before!"

Callie had a blank expression on her face for a second, and then she clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide; she was coughing and spluttering, her hand not quite catching all the liquid that had been expelled from her mouth. I started clapping her gently on the back, apologizing profusely, "I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just—I dunno, you weren't hiding it so I thought you were open about it. I'm sorry, just- pretend I didn't say anything."

Finally catching her breath for a second, I realized that Callie wasn't angry, the way her body was shaking wasn't from being upset, she was laughing; laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face. It was contagious, soon enough I was giggling along with her, although I still had no idea what was so funny and I asked her as much.

When she finally straightened up, she answered, "Oh, my god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh quite so hard. It's just—oh, the idea of me and Mark being a _couple_! That's just hilarious to me. He's my best friend, kind of like the big brother I never had."

_So they're _not_ a couple! _Internal Arizona started doing a super happy, if incredibly nerdy, dance in my head. Suddenly the way we'd been teasing each other all night became much more serious. Before I knew, I'd gone along with the flirting because, well, it was just nice to feel wanted. Plus, you know, she's super hot, and I wanted to flirt with a beautiful girl. _This_ beautiful girl.

"Wait, you thought me and Mark were together? Like, together-together? Dating?" she asked, as if the notion had really just sunk in.

"Um… yeah?" I hadn't _intended_ for it to come out as a question, but I was a bit nervous now, and the alcohol was starting to slowly trickle from my system.

"Oh… OK." She seemed a bit disappointed. There was a moment of awkward silence, and then, "I thought that you realized… Never mind. So!" She plastered a bright, and even I could see, fake, smile on her face, and looked up, searching around for a new topic.

"Sorry, thought I realized…." I led her, needing to know what she was going to say. All traces of the flirty banter we'd been engaged in a few minutes ago were gone, and I couldn't explain the sudden shift.

"IthghtyorelisdIwsflrtnwtyou," she expelled in a rush.

"I got none of that, except the 'you' at the end," I confessed with a smile.

She took a deep breath, apparently steeling herself to say the slower version, "I thought—I thought you realized I was flirting with you, OK? And that you were flirting back. But of course now I realize I've actually been a complete idiot, because you know, you thought I was in a relationship, and obviously you're just a really friendly person, and you probably don't even remember me from the flight, and I'm just really drunk and stupid—" She seemed to run out of steam, dropping her head onto her arms, a muffled "Fuck!" coming from the direction of the bar top.

I couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across my mouth, replacing the look of confusion I'd been wearing.

"You're _not _stupid," I said, leaning down close to her ear, close enough to feel a few loose strands of raven hair tickle my nose, "I knew you were flirting with me." I stated.

"You did?" came the timid response.

"Of course I did," I said matter-of-factly, leaning back slightly, "You weren't exactly subtle about it, Callie. And I was _totally_ flirting back. I mean, yes, I _am_a naturally friendly person, but ever since I saw you back in Miami, I haven't been able to get you off my mind."

"Really?"

"Really." I answered, completely honest.

That got her to lift her head up from her arms, and really look at me.

"_Really._" I repeated insistently with a smile on my face, I needed her to know I was telling the truth. I was rewarded when a brilliant smile lit up her eyes, a smile I knew that _I_ was the cause of.

"You are so beautiful when you smile." I said it almost absentmindedly, the way I would sometimes hear my Dad tell my Mom she was beautiful. The enormity of the implications of _that_ errant thought would come back to haunt me, but in this moment, heavy traces of alcohol diminishing my brain-mouth filter, I didn't care.

"Yeah?" she asked, equal parts bashful and flirty.

Nodding in earnest, I continued, ticking the items off on my fingers "So, now that we've established that you're gorgeous, that we _are_ flirting, and that apparently we're both a bit of a creeper-" she had been nodding along, but now had a look of confusion on her face, so I explained, "We both basically stalked each other from _Miami_. And then when we run into each other here by some stroke of serendipity, neither of us actually admits this fact. Face it, we're creepers." I finished with a decisive bob of my head and a smile.

"I can deal with that," she replied, leaning in closer, I could feel her breath on my lips she was so close, "As long as we can be creepers together." She looked at me, intent obvious in her eyes, and that one damn eyebrow raised.

Swallowing hard at the blatantly sexual way she said that innocuous sentence, I continued, albeit slight more out of breath than before, hyper aware of our proximity to one another "As I was saying, now that everything is out in the open, I think that you should definitely tell me what it is you won when you beat me at pool, because the curiosity is basically agony. I don't do well with being teased, at least, not when it comes to surprises like this," I added not-so-innocently. If she wanted to play that game, then I was definitely in.

Now it was her turn to inhale sharply at my words, we were still so close that I felt the little whoosh of air past my cheek. Yeah, that's right, I could give it as good as I got.

Composing herself, she murmured, "Like I said, that definitely requires more privacy than what we have here." I knew I wasn't imagining the way her eyes glanced down at my lips, and I certainly didn't miss the way her tongue darted out to swipe across her own.

"Can I have a sneak peek? Just—a little hint?" My breathing had hitched when I felt a warm hand on my left knee, and my eyes fluttered closed for a moment involuntarily.

"I think we can definitely, definitely arrange that," she smiled a little cheekily, looking at me from under long lashes, her bottom lip drawn gently between her teeth.

As if testing the waters, the hand on my knee slid up, ever so slightly, coming to rest mid-thigh.

I encouraged her, tracing my right hand down her arm, letting our fingers gently intertwine where they hung between us.

I watched her, and she watched me, both of us daring the other to make the first move.

As if there had been an unspoken signal, we both moved at once, coming together in a ghost of a kiss, our lips barely grazing.

That was all it took for a sudden rush of warmth to pool low in my stomach, and I let out what sounded pathetically close to a whimper. I felt, rather than saw, Callie smile, and press her lips fully against mine. I'd thought I was warm before, but that had nothing on this. The heat spreading through my entire body was like being in a fireplace, flames licking intermittently at my body.

I pulled her bottom lip gently between my own, parting our lips ever so slightly. I could honestly say I'd never been kissed like this before, never so softly yet so intensely. For the moment, there was no sense of urgency, just the calm caress of her lips against mine. Then she moaned, and all that self control went out the window.

My left hand clamped over the hand on my leg, which was now decidedly higher than mid-thigh, Callie's fingertips fidgeting dangerously close to the top of my leg. My right traced back up her arm, coming to rest on her cheek, drawing her in closer as our lips parted, tentative tongues licking at unfamiliar lips.

It wasn't awkward. Not at all. Which was weird in and of its self. It felt like we'd been doing this forever. I knew the right moment to tilt my head, and she knew the exact way to play her tongue against mine. This kiss wasn't a fight for dominance; it was like the salsa, near-perfectly choreographed yet fiery and passionate, both partners knowing when to give and take.

When inhaling something more than carbon dioxide became a priority, I moved my lips to the brunette's jaw line. My need to get my lips on Callie's extremely lickable looking neck was interrupted, however, when I felt hands grasp the ones on my thigh and pull them apart; I felt as though a white-hot brand had just been removed from my skin, I could still feel the phantom heat where Callie's hand had been.

"Okay, guys, I think you've given the room enough of a show," Teddy said discreetly, "Not that it wasn't hot, because it really was, I mean even _I_ was getting turned on, and no offense intended Arizona, but you're like a little sister to me so I'm a bit weirded out by the whole thing."

_She must still be drunk_, I thought absently still staring with lust-glazed vision at Callie. On some level, I knew I was definitely still drunk, but my whole body felt alive and humming, drunk on the Latina in front of me.

"Okay, seriously?" My head was turned around against my will by a strong hand on my chin, "You guys actually have to stop. One, the bar is closing, I've seen James try and tell you guys this three times now, but it's like you don't hear him. B, Mark is drunk off his ass, and ran outside about five minutes ago, not looking great, so Callie, you might want to go and see him, make sure he's alright. And three, I am really quite drunk, and need to go to bed, but I can't remember where I put my room card, Arizona." Her last bit came out something of a whine and I had to chuckle, because Drunk Teddy could swing between really sensible and incredibly child-like in the same breath.

"Fucking Mark," Callie expelled a sharp breath.

"Teddy, you put your room key in your bra, remember? So that you _wouldn't_ lose it?" I sighed, knowing that my wonderfully amazing make-out session was done for the night. As much as I was absolutely loving getting my mack on with Callie, I knew if I didn't get Teddy to bed soon, it wasn't gonna be pretty, and my best friend had to come before the best kiss of my life. It seemed that Callie shared my philosophy, and despite looking pissed off, was going to get her friend.

"Okay," I experimentally stood up from the stool, not sure that my legs would still support my weight. Turns out they did, although I did still sway a little and had to grab the bar for support; whether that was from the still-strong presence of alcohol in my blood stream, or the fact that all the blood had rushed from my head to a place decidedly south of my head I didn't know. "So…" I started awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"I'll, uh, just go wait at the stairs," Okay, so the murder-y thoughts I'd had about my best friend when she interrupted us were possibly slightly unfounded, the girl knew when to make herself scarce.

Left alone, bar the last few people milling around, finishing off drinks and pool games, Callie and I looked at each other.

"Well, I guess I better go find Mark," she started, and she sounded almost regretful, "The last time he was this drunk it was well, let's go with 'not good', I have to go make sure he's okay."

"It's fine, I completely understand. I need to get Teddy to bed anyway." I smiled, letting her know I got it, our friends were more important. Neither of us seemed to know what to say, and for a few seconds we just smiled at each other, eyes darting around nervously; ironic, considering what had transpired not five minutes earlier.

Feeling bold, I stepped forward, but was careful to leave a decent inch or two between our bodies. I placed one hand gently on her cheek, before brushing my lips against hers in a chaste kiss.

"So, I'll see you around?" I asked, and I really hope it didn't sound as desperate as I thought it did.

"I certainly hope so," she replied, "If not, I might become a bit of a creeper again. Plus, I still have a bet to collect on, and if that was anything to go by, I'm really gonna have to kick your ass at pool a few more times." she smiled wickedly, lifting an eyebrow, taking a few steps backwards towards the door leading outside.

"About that… I totally let you win. Just so you know." I announced smugly, as she turned towards the door.

"I totally beat you fair and square, but you know, whatever you need to tell yourself to make it okay," she responded playfully without missing a beat, disappearing through the back door.

I couldn't begrudge her getting the last word in. As with everything else, I found her cockiness super hot, and remembered that I still had a drunken Teddy waiting for me in the lobby.

"Finally!" She exclaimed from her leaning stance against the hand rail of the stairs.

"You're wasted," I stated almost fondly, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. "Let's get you to bed, babe." I looped her arm over my shoulder and started up the stairs slowly.

"Thanks," she slurred happily, "You always take care of me. Even if it means stopping kissing the girl you're obsessed with." I knew this was her drunken, round-about way of saying that she loved me, and appreciated what I was doing for her.

"You're welcome," I responded absently, my mind had gone straight back to Callie with her words, and I was acutely aware of how turned on I was.

If I didn't see her soon, I was definitely going to take up 'creeping' again.

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><p><strong>Definitely not sure on this chapter, because it's been written through writer's block, and in way too many sittings. So if you liked it, I'd love to hear it. If you hated it, I won't lie and say I'd <strong>_**love**_** to hear it, but the feedback is important to me. I'm still working through whatever's blocking me, but I'll try my hardest not to leave it so long before another update. **


	7. Flirting is the best hangover cure

"I want to _die_!" I heard Teddy's low moan before I'd even fully registered I was awake. A muffled grunt was about as much as I could manage in the way of a response, given that my mouth felt like it had been scrubbed out with sandpaper and filled with fluff.

Nevertheless, I somehow forced one eyelid to open just a fraction, precautionary against the morning sunlight.

"Gnnnnhh…" I let out my own noise of discontent, "Whdiwdolsnt?" I slurred, swallowed thickly, tried again, "What did we _do_ last night?"

"Drank a bar?" Teddy suggested.

"I feel like I ate a sandcastle, and then got hit by a car," I whined.

"I'm feel ya, babe, and I'm not surprised. Do you have any idea how much we drank last night?"

I cast my mind back, which felt unfortunately like trying to walk against the current, under water.

"I remember us being downstairs. There was pool, there was definitely alcohol and oh-" It suddenly hit me, "They were there. Callie and her- Mark? Was that his name?" Teddy murmured her assent.

Concentrating hard, my eyes slammed open as, "Ohmygod I kissed her!" I whipped my head over the edge of the bed to stare at Teddy and immediately regretted it as pain flared in my head. "Owwww!" I groaned, cluthing at my temple.

"Kissed? Arizona, I think that's putting it a bit lightly," she grinned, "Devoured is probably closer to the mark. You were practically mounting her, right there on the bar!" The grin turned into a bit of a lecherous smirk, "Was pretty hot, actually."

"Ew! Teddy! You're like a sister to me. It's weird for me to listen to you tell me that you think that me making out with some chick was hot," at her glance of puzzlement, "Yeah, I heard it. So sue me if I'm not up to my usual level of wordsmithery." I shot her a glare, flopped back onto my own bunk, arm over my eyes. "It was kind of insanely unbelievably hot. Like, probably the actual best kiss I've ever had. She was just—wow." I breathed out, sucking my bottom lip in between my teeth and knowing that a dreamy smile was on my face.

"Yeah, you were definitely putting on a show for the rest of the bar, and let me tell you, they enjoyed it in a big way!" I knew Teddy wasn't judging, it was just our way to give each other shit for stuff we did when we were drunk.

"The rest of the bar could've not existed for all I knew," turning more carefully this time, I leant over to speak to her, "Seriously, it was amazing!"

"Look at you, you're all happy and glow-y!"

"I can't help it, you have no idea," I responded happily, hangovers banished to the backs of our minds for the moment.

"Ok, come on, you can be happy and glow-y downstairs – I want a bacon sandwich. Or a hashbrown. Or plain toast." Ok, maybe it was just me that had forgotten my hangover.

* * *

><p>After showering and dressing, we'd headed downstairs both truly feeling the effects of what we'd drunk; tequila for me and cider for Teddy.<p>

"Remind me not to drink like that again," I turned to Teddy as we pushed open the doors to the bar, "I never, ever want to feel like this again." I lamented as we grabbed plates and started getting food.

When we both had our chosen meals (Bacon, toast and a hashbrown for Teddy, coffee and fruit for me) we took a seat on one of the empty long benches. I was half way through my coffee and 3 bites into an apple when I heard some guy, "Hi ladies, mind if we join you?"

"Yeah of cour-" I'd looked up and my voice caught in my throat as I realized that the voice belonged to Mark, and standing right next to and above me was Callie. I felt the smile cross my face again, completely unbidden. "Hi," I said, only a little annoyed at how breathily it came out.

"Hey," came the response, and she tucked her hair behind her ear in the most adorable move I've ever seen, in such juxtaposition to the seductive hustler I'd played pool against the previous night.

"So, I'm gonna just sit down here, you guys can keep staring at each other for as long as you like," Apparently we'd been staring at each other for longer than strictly socially acceptable and with Mark's words, we broke our gaze to find him and Teddy smirking at us.

"So…" I lead, hoping someone would take over for me as Callie took her seat on the bench next to me, her left leg scant inches from my right.

"How did you guys pull up this morning?" I shot Teddy a grateful look, knowing she'd picked up on my sudden incoherency.

"You mean apart from never wanting to see another pear cider again? Just great," Mark answered with a smile.

"Yeah, I don't know about you, Arizona," Oh, god I love it when she says my name, "But I never want to see another tequila shot again," she let out a short laugh and damn if it didn't pour fuel on the fire that had flared last night.

_OK Arizona, time to pick your slack jaw up off the ground and start flirting again, _"Oh, I don't know, Callie," _Yeah, take that,_ I thought off her heated glance, turning to face her, "the tequila wasn't _that_ bad," I punctuated my statement by sliding a grape in between my lips, wrapping my tongue around it for the briefest second. I watched in delight as her eyes flicked to my lips and then back up to my eyes. _Success!_

"Well—I- I mean—Yeah. I guess it could have been worse," chewing slowly on my grape, I nodded along with her stuttering, tamping down my smile.

"Mmm…" I swallowed my grape, "Last night _definitely_ could have been worse," I licked my top lip, just to get that drop of grape juice, of course. If that action had the side effect of drawing her eyes to my mouth again, well, that was just a happy coincidence.

It seemed that she'd decided to starting fighting fire with fire, I could see the light in her eyes spark as she leant a fraction closer, "Last night also could have been so. Much. Better." She paused on each word, each one like an extra log on the fire low in my stomach, her eyes already a shade darker.

"As I recall, I believe I still owe you for last night. The bet, I mean. You did win the game, after all." I leant in closer to her ear, close enough that I knew she'd be able to feel my breath, "And I never, ever let my debts go uncollected," I drew back, staring at her through my lashes.

'Well, we—"

"Uh, guys?" came a voice to my left.

"Mmm?" I turned to see Teddy grinning at us and Mark with his spoon hovering near his open mouth, milk dripping.

"You were, uh"

"So hot." Came the blank statement from Mark.

"Shut up Mark. Eat your cereal," Callie turned back to face opposite the table again, and I was left to recover, Teddy smirking knowingly at me.

I snuck a glance up to my right to see Callie look over at the same time. I shot her a small smile, before gently biting my bottom lip. She returned the grin, her eyes darting to my lips and then meeting my own before speaking.

"So," she started, facing the rest of the table once again, "What are we doing today?"

* * *

><p>So. Hi. <strong>:<strong>waves**:** I'm back. It's been more than a year since I've written for the Grey's fandom and I sincerely apologize for just dropping off the radar completely. Honestly, I'd never intended to stop, it just kind of happened that life got way busy and I got way more into other fandoms and I wrote less and less. Lately though I've been receiving messages from people asking me to continue, and it made me realize that I owe it to you guys to at least take this story and these characters to a place where I feel comfortable ending it. Life is still busy, so I can't guarantee super regular updates, but I'll do my best to be better.

This is quite short, as I'm definitely a little rusty at the writing Callie/Arizona thing because it's been a long time, so even more than usual, I'd really appreciate any thoughts you have on ways to improve. Similarly, I'd love to know that people still want this to continue, so let me know either way.


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